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There Will Be No “New Game Plus” in Mass Effect 2
Restarting a character, with all of his attributes, weapons and perks, at the beginning of the game is sometimes called “new game plus.” Mass Effect had it, but Mass Effect 2 won’t. Preston Watamaniuk, the lead designer for Mass Effect, addressed the question today on Bioware’s forums, and the explanation has as much to do…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
EverQuest I & II Get 16th and 6th Expansions
The dedicated players of Everquest – and after nearly 10 years, hell yes they are dedicated – will get expansions for the first two games in the series beginning in November. At its Fan Faire in Las Vegas, Sony Online Entertainment announced the 16th expansion for EverQuest, will be released in November. Called “Underfoot,” it…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Right-Wingers Cite 1982 Arcade Death in Legal Brief
The fun-killing neighborhood scolds at the Eagle Forum filed a brief [pdf] supporting California’s violent video game law, and invoke the 1982 death of a Berzerk player as evidence that games even cause physical harm. The Eagle Forum isn’t much different from your typical gasbag family values think tank, except that it was founded in…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
EA Might Let You Remap Fight Night — Through DLC
How’d we miss this? In a chat a couple weeks back on IGN, Fight Night Round 4 producer Brian Hayes said that remapping the face buttons to throw punches might be “an option via DLC.” His full reply: There is no option for face button punching in the final version, but we are investigating providing…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
“News Gaming:” Lots of Buzz but No Breakout
Dad, a newspaper publisher, always told me, “the news is what people are talking about.” Video games can be that, too, as we’ve seen lately with mobile or flash games based on much-discussed current events. The Christian Science Monitor wraps its arms around a long list of “news games,” from the lighthearted “Swinefighter” (pictured) to…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Want to Meet Final Fantasy’s Composer?
You need to be in Seattle from July 9 to 11, and you need a hundred bucks. The Seattle Symphony is giving a three-day performance of Final Fantasy‘s score, and Nobuo Uematsu will be attending. “Distant Worlds” will be performed July 9 at 7:30 pm and July 10 and 11 at 8 pm. The Grammy…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
That Hulu That Your PS3 Won’t Do
Some PS3 websurfers have reported that, as of this morning, they’re no longer able to play Hulu videos. Engadget dug through the Hulu TOS and thinks it knows why. The PS3 had access to Hulu thanks to the console browser’s flash support, leading some to wonder if this was a glitch or a block caused…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Weekend Coupons: Boxed Up
There’s a long list of games you can trade in for a free Fight Night: Round 4 at GameStop, but of course, these are high value targets. The rest of the week’s values seems to indicate a post-Dad’s Day lull, with retailers clearing off stock and offering regular bundles as major value-adds. Eh, whatevs, let’s…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Announcement: There Will Be No Mass Effect DLC Announcement
Earlier this week, Evil Chris on the Mass Effect Twitter channel told us to expect some ME1 DLC news by Friday. Well, Friday happened, so what’s the word? Tweeted Evil Chris yesterday: “Due to circumstances beyond my control (me being stupid on timing), any news of more ME1 DLC will have to wait. Sorry folks.”…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Kotaku Originals: The Beer Frame
We learned some important lessons about the physical world this week, notably that Fallout sees no difference between a tall frosty cold one and a device used to rip out nosehairs. Yes, unbeatable refreshment. In addition to the behemoth study of video game weights and measures, we gave a look at Nintendo’s major goods and…
By Owen Good Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Nikkei: Sony To Build Gaming Phone
According to Japan’s Nikkei business daily, Sony will next month begin the process of designing a “cellphone-game gear hybrid” which it’s hoped will give Apple’s iPhone a run for its money. Apparently a “project team” will be set up next month to build an all-new device that combines the functionality of a Sony Ericsson mobile…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sexy Ladies Do Street Fighter For…Department Store Ads
This is as unexpected as it is brilliant; the ad firm running a campaign for posh British department store Harvey Nichols have decided to sell the sale using sexy ladies in a 2D fighting game. OK, mostly sexy ladies. The last one has dudes. But they’re sharp-dressed dudes, which makes them look like King of…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Do You Like Sports Games?
Hello! The weekend is just around the corner. But first, let’s talk. It’s Friday, time for TELL US DAMMIT. Here’s how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn’t some marketing survey or whatever. It’s an emotional investment in you. Yes, we’re interested in knowing you, Kotaku…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Some Facts, Figures On Music Game Players
Ever wonder how many Americans played a music game during the month of April? Well, we can tell you. 25 million Americans played a music game during the month of April. The figure comes courtesy of market research firm Interpret, who can also tell us some other fun facts about music game players, like: –…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Week In Comments
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Has Really Big Guns Comment by: psycoking Nominated by: -MasterDex- Yeah, something about this thread has me feeling like I’m some cranky old man of gaming. I seriously can’t believe that people here are complaining about a few slightly rough edges and calling them “jaggies.” Hell! I remember a time when…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Madden 10 Screens Go West, Life Is Peaceful There
EA Sports today released a ton of new Madden 10 screenshots, focusing on the teams from the NFC West. And here they are. Fun fact: despite my antipodean residence, I’m actually a big Niners fan. Tragic, I know, but that’s how I roll.
By Luke Plunkett Published June 26, 2009 - Uncategorized
Further Confirmation That Spielberg’s LMNO Is D.O.A. [Update]
Way back in October, we brought word that Spielberg’s “ultra-real” game, code-named LMNO Project, had been shelved — a rumor EA said was “incorrect”. Earlier this year, we heard that despite the many denials, Steven Speilberg action title LMNO (pronounced Elemental) was dead in the water, the budget pulled, the assets locked away. The game…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 26, 2009 - Uncategorized
BioWare Boss On Future Mythic Collaboration
So, EA decided to roll both their big RPG houses – BioWare and Mythic – together under the one command structure. It only took about 30 seconds before people started wondering: could the two ever work together on a game? BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka, who is now heading up the merged division, says…mmmaaayyybbeee. Anything’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 26, 2009 -
UncategorizedWorld of Warcraft Freak Out Kid: The Japanese Remix
Now, we’re hardly convinced that the original is real, we are convinced that this Japanese remix is UTTERLY AMAZING. More phony freak-outs for brilliant remixes, please! Oh, and as Kotakuite Gantz La Dix Croix points out, that’s Kirby’s theme song. Kirby’s theme song makes everything better. Even spinach. WOW Cancellation Tantrums: Japan Gets Into The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 26, 2009 - Uncategorized
Maybe That Toshinden Wii-boot Won’t Be So Bad
Takara Tomy’s been pretty quiet on the rebooted Toshinden that it announced last October. We don’t know that much about the 3D Wii brawler, but at least we know now who is developing it. That would be Dream Factory, as rooted out by Siliconera. If you’re hoping for the best, remember that Dream Factory was…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 26, 2009